The Dreadnought, a three-masted medium clipper ship of 1414 tons OM and 2337 tons NM, was launched 10/6/1853 and sailed for the New York-based Red Cross Line.

It drifted ashore and wrecked off Tierra del Fuego July 4, 1869. The crew reached Cape San Diego after 17 days in two of the ship's boats. [thanx Lars Bruzelius - Maritime History Virtual Archives Dreadnought]

          It's of a flash packet, a packet of fame,
          She hails from New York and the Dreadnaught's her name.
          'Cross the wild Western ocean, she's bound for to go.
          She's the Liverpool packet. Oh Lord, let her go!
  
                  Derry down, down, down derry down.

Per Hugill, it was the Liverpool packet - ie., an American ship trading with Liverpool, rather than a Liverpool packet, an English ship.    Snapshot of Dreadnought

The song (based on "The Flash Frigate") has two tunes & several choruses, depending on if it were used as a capstan chantey or a forebitter. Like most, I sing the "derry-down" one.

It's a great song but I can't help thinking it was written by the Line's ad-men & spin artists - not by actual sailor's on it. Superb though the ship may have been, the sailors just seem too enthralled with it all. Well, maybe they were proud to serve on a world-class ship but that toast to "bold Captain Samuels and his officers too" may go one step too far. He did earn the reputation of one of the great monsters of the seas.

Copyright © 2005, Abby Sale - all rights reserved
What are Happy's all about? See Notes and Index